The fixed governments in previous versions of Civilization are now replaced by a much more flexible Civics system, somewhat similar to the social engineering system in Alpha Centauri. The new system allows you to customize your government with various civics options that are classified into five categories: Government, Legal, Labor, Economy, and Religion. There are five options in each category. Players are free to choose any combination of civics.
Unless your leader is Spiritual, each time you change a civic, there will be a short period of anarchy. After each change, you cannot change civic again for a few turns.
NOTE: Information in this section is correct as of Beyond the Sword, version 3.13.
Government Civics:
| Icon | Civic Name | Upkeep Cost | Required Tech | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Despotism | Low | None | None |
 | Hereditary Rule | Low | Monarchy | +1  per military unit stationed in the city; |
 | Representation | Medium | Constitution | +3 science per specialist; +3 in 4 to 6 largest cities, depending on map size; |
 | Police State | High | Fascism | +25% military unit production; -50% war  ; |
 | Universal Suffrage | Medium | Democracy | +1 hammer from town; Can spend gold to finish production; |
Legal Civics:
| Icon | Civic Name | Upkeep Cost | Required Tech | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Barbarism | Low | None | None |
 | Vassalage | High | Feudalism | New units receive +2 experience points; More free units |
 | Bureaucracy | High | Civil Service | +50% hammers and +50% commerce in capital |
 | Nationhood | None | Nationalism | Can draft 1 to 5 units per turn, depending on map size; +25% espionage points in all cities; +2 from barracks |
 | Free Speech | Low | Liberalism | +100% culture in all cities; +2 gold from town |
Labor Civics:
| Icon | Civic Name | Upkeep Cost | Required Tech | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Tribalism | Low | None | None |
 | Slavery | Medium | Bronze Working | Can sacrifice population to finish production in a city |
 | Serfdom | Low | Feudalism | Workers build improvements 50% faster |
 | Caste System | Medium | Code of Laws | Unlimited artist, scientist, merchant; +1 hammer from Workshops |
 | Emancipation | Low | Democracy | +100% growth for cottage, hamlet, village; penalty for civs without emancipation |
Economy Civics:
| Icon | Civic Name | Upkeep Cost | Required Tech | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Decentralization | Low | None | None |
 | Mercantilism | Medium | Banking | +1 free specialist per city; No foreign trade routes; Foriegn coporations have no effect |
 | Free Market | Medium | Economics | +1 trade route per city; -25% maintenance costs from corporations |
 | State Property | Low | Communism | No maintenance cost from distance to palace; +1 food from workshop, watermill; +10% hammers in all cities; Corporations have no effect |
 | Environmentalism | Medium | Medicine | +6 health in all cities +25% maintenance costs from corporations; +2 health from Public Transporation; +2 commerce from Windmills, Forest Preserves |
Religion Civics:
| Icon | Civic Name | Upkeep Cost | Required Tech | Effects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Paganism | Low | None | None |
 | Organized Religion | High | Monotheism | Can build missionaries without monastery; Cities with state religion construct buildings +25 faster |
 | Theocracy | Medium | Theology | +2 experience points in cities with state religion; No non-state religion spread |
 | Pacifism | None | Philosophy | +100% great person birth rate in cities with state religion; +1 gold support cost per military unit |
 | Free Religion | Low | Liberalism | No state religion; +1 per religion in a city; +10% research in all cities |
Related Links:
More info about Civics are available in the Civilization IV Info Center.